Should death penalty be abolished?

The first recorded evidence of the death penalty is found in the Babylonian King Hammurabi's Code of 1800 BC. Hammurabi's law was based on 'an eye for an eye,' meaning if one kills, the killer must be killed as punishment.
Earlier, the death penalty was common throughout the world. Currently, only 58 countries carry out the death penalty, while 95 countries have abolished this practice. Countries that still have the death penalty include the USA, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, China, and Bangladesh. On the other hand, countries like Kazakhstan and Papua New Guinea have recently abolished their death penalty, and many others have done so as well.
But yet, the opinion that the death penalty should be upheld is often supported in many countries. Let's understand with an example. If there are children in your household, you will likely encounter various misbehaviours. When disciplined, the child will be deterred from repeating the behaviour next time. Similarly, the death penalty acts as a deterrent to violent crime. If a person is executed for committing a crime, it sets a precedent, deterring others from committing similar crimes.

Fariya Alam Jerin
Department of Law
Notre Dame University Bangladesh
[email protected]